Lost & Found
by SpikeFan4Life95
Summary: AU after Becoming pt 2. What if Spike and Buffy ran into each other after the events in Sunnydale? Eventual Spuffy!
1. Chapter 1

** All characters belong to the awesomeness that is Joss Whedon, I'm just playing with his toys :) - Enjoy!**

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It was raining when the bus reached Los Angeles; it was fitting considering the events that had occurred only the night before. Buffy wiped the remnants of tears from her face and stepped off the bus, taking shelter from under the covered bus stop. She was determined to be strong, ad that meant no more tears. She'd just find a place to stay, and a job, and then go from there. It was obvious she wasn't wanted anymore in Sunnydale. She'd been expelled, blamed for a crime she didn't commit, and kicked out of her own house by her mother. Buffy had lost everything and there was just no getting it back . . . like Angel. She'd never see him again, she killed him. He had a soul and she killed him. Holding back a sob that threatened to escape, she peered at a map of the city and found a motel that was just a few blocks away. It looked like she was going to get wet.

Even raining, five o' clock was a busy time for L.A. Buffy found herself feeling increasingly uncomfortable making her way through the crowded streets. Her hair was sticking to her face, her clothes were drenched, and her makeup was smeared around her eyes by the time she walked up to the counter in the cheap motel. The old woman didn't even notice her disheveled state, just asked for the nightly rate and handed her a key. Buffy nodded her thanks, and resolved to look for a job the next day; she only had enough cash for about a week in the motel. She unlocked her door, ignoring the unsettling sounds coming from the room next door. _Why do motel walls have to be so thin?_ She wondered absently as she set down her bag. She hadn't showered since the day before, so that was first on her agenda.

Gathering up her shower supplies, Buffy went into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. She set down her clothes on the slightly grimy counter. When she looked up, she nearly gasped at how horrible she looked. Her wet hair was hanging lankly around her pale face, her eyes were red from crying, and her makeup was smeared down her cheeks. Buffy couldn't stop the tears from pooling in her eyes. Wiping angrily at her eyes, she ignored the horrible aching feeling in her chest, and turned on the shower. The water was lukewarm at best, but it didn't matter at that moment. Quickly showering, Buffy scrubbed fiercely at her skin, hoping that she could just wash away everything that happened. It didn't work, but she did feel a little better.

After dressing and drying her hair, Buffy looked to see what time it was. The sun was going to set any minute now. She dug around in her bag for a ponytail holder and put her hair up in a tight ponytail, then dug around some more for a couple of stakes. Buffy slipped them into her pockets and then stared out the window, waiting for the sun to set. She may have lost everything else, but she'd always be The Slayer. At least she had that to fall back on.

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Spike cursed at himself for not having any whiskey in his car. It was a whiskey night. He was going to go on a blackout binge when he reached L.A. He'd hardly made it out of Sunnydale when Drusilla woke up and violently attacked him in the car. He'd nearly crashed his Desoto before he calmed her down enough for her to explain what was wrong. She raved at him, telling him that he was just covered in The Slayer, that he was gripped in her tendrils of light and was burning up for her. He wasn't her dark, deadly boy anymore. Spike had begged for her to stay, so they could work things out in Brazil, but she just slapped him, her nails scraping against his cheek, causing blood to run down him face. She threw open the door and hissed in pain as the sunlight hit her skin. Even though she'd just hit him, Spike pulled her back in and slammed the door shut. She squirmed in his grip, calling him all sort of nasty names. Finally he convinced her that he would let her off at the subway station so she could go to Brazil by herself.

Tears stung in his eyes, but he ignored them, replacing the sadness with anger at the bloody bint. He'd done everything for her. HER! And this was how she repaid him? Ungrateful bitch! He growled, but visibly relaxed when he saw the sign, beckoning him to the City of Angels. More like City of the walking happy meals. Nobody noticed when somebody went missing from the wrong side of the tracks. He grinned as he parked his car at a popular demon bar. Before he stepped inside the building, he spotted a person scurrying into the alley behind the bar, probably hoping for a faster way home. A wicked grin lit up the blonde's face as he took a detour from the bar and followed the person. He was silent in his approach, the young girl completely unaware of his presence until it was too late. He grabbed her and smashed her back against the brick wall. She started to scream, but he covered her mouth with his hand.

"Ah-ah, none of that now. It'll be quick, you're just a meal," her eyes widened even more in fear and he leaned over and vamped out. He had barely sunk his fangs into her neck when a glass bottle was thrown at his head. Spike lurched forward, startled enough that he let go of the girl he'd started feeding on, and she ran off. Growling in annoyance, Spike whirled around, face still vamped out.

Buffy had started to advance on the vampire, when he turned around. Her heart lurched into her throat as she recognized him. What the heck was he doing here?

"Spike?" She asked with confusion evident in her tone. He was shocked to see her too. He'd figured the girl was dead; it certainly hadn't been looking good for her when he'd left with Dru. His face transformed back into his non-vamped out one, he didn't even notice.

"Buffy?" He asked, too caught up to realize he'd called her by her name and not Slayer. She quickly reassembled her face into an indifferent mask, covering up her confusion.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, wondering why she hadn't staked him yet. Her curiosity was just getting the better of her. That wasn't exactly a good thing, but she knew she could take him if he tried anything.

"I could ask you the same thing, pet," He said as he slowly walked towards her when he didn't see any visible stakes. Didn't mean she didn't have any, but he'd at least see her going for it. "Thought you were busy killing your man?"

"And I thought you were busy running off with Drusilla?" She asked him, a slight hint of snark in her tone. This was just bizarre. She lost everything she wanted, and then ends up with Spike in an alley with her. The life of a Slayer was bizarre to say the least.

"You shut your mouth! It's your fault I'm not!"

"How is it MY fault!"

"That bloody truce with you! She's convinced I don't love her anymore. She says I'm all covered in you!" He snarled at her, ready to sock her in the face. Maybe he should just kill her.

"Oh yeah? I've lost EVERYTHING and you're complaining because your ho of girlfriend dumped you! I had to kill my boyfriend, got expelled and kicked out of my own house, and you are standing here complaining that something else is MY fault! You're beyond pathetic."

"Me? You're the one complaining about how screwed up your life is to a vampire. Boohoo. You're the pathetic one, luv."

"I am NOT your love!" She screamed at him and punched him in the face. She'd had enough. For some reason Spike just brought out almost painfully strong feelings in her. His head snapped back with the force of her blow, and he growled at her before delivering an equally painful punch to her face. She brought her hand to her lip, and it came away with blood on it. Blood was trailing out of Spike's nose, and he vamped out, angrily wiping the blood away. For some reason this was the last straw and they both practically flew at each other in a whirlwind of punches and kicks. Their anger at the situations they were in spurred them on. This fight was going to last until they were both broken and bleeding on the ground.

Buffy had Spike's back against the wall after a kick into his chest, and she followed up with a flurry of punches. Spike couldn't help but be turned on by her pounding against his flesh. Fighting her had always made him horny, but tonight . . .

He didn't finish the thought, just grabbed Buffy's incoming fist and threw her across the alley and into nearby trashcans. She groaned as she tried to get up, but Spike grabbed her by the upper arm and then punched her in the face. She glared and spit out blood onto his face. He nearly lost it. Her blood smelled divine. Grinning despite the pain his body was wracked with, he licked off her bloody spit. She made a disgusted face, and then kicked him between the legs. He dropped her and fell to the ground in an ungraceful heap. Buffy hit her head on the concrete and the world became fuzzy. She fought for consciousness, but then she fell back down, giving up the losing battle with staying alert.

Spike struggled to sit up, but the pain from the fight was finally getting to him. They'd beat each other to a bloody pulp, and exhaustion was taking over. Not caring anymore about what happened to him, he curled up in a ball and fell asleep next to the unconscious Slayer. He was too tired to even try killing her.

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More coming soon! Tell me whatcha think?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Might take a bit for another update, I'll probably have something done Sundayish. Enjoy! I threw in some references to stuff in the Angel series. Read & Review please?

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Buffy groaned as she stirred, finally coming to from the head injury. It felt like she'd been in a head on collision with a semi-truck. _God, what happened?_ She wondered until she looked around and realized what was going on. Her eyes landed on the sleeping vampire next to her, bloody and bruised. _Of course . . . Spike happened. _That had been an even better fight than any she'd had with Angelus. They'd pounded on each other for what seemed like forever the night before. She struggled to sit up, her ribs protesting as she rose to a sitting position. There was no way she would get a job looking the way she probably did, unless she went a bit overboard with the makeup. Using the dumpster to balance herself, she slowly stood up, glad that nothing was broken. Even though she hurt like crazy, that fight had satisfied a need she didn't know she had. She felt better than she had in weeks really. Letting out all her stress and aggravation on Spike had been nice actually.

While she examined her injuries, she didn't notice the sunlight just barely reaching Spike's fingertips, only realizing it when she smelled burning flesh.

"Jeez, what IS that smell!" She exclaimed, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Spike finally woke up when the slight warmth on his hand turned into a horrible burning. It hadn't yet caught fire when he shot to his feet, despite the pain from the fight the night before, and waved his hand around, glad it wasn't on fire. Buffy couldn't hold back the snort of amusement at how silly he looked waving his hand around like he was.

"What are you laughing at, Slayer?" Spike all but growled at her. He was not a morning person, and waking up burning, in pain, and next to his enemy wasn't really making his day that much better. He assessed his wounds while he waited for a response from her. He was pretty torn up, but that was the best fight he'd had in his un-life, even better than that Chinese Slayer he offed during The Boxer Rebellion. See, that fight had been all business, but the one with the cute lil blonde Buffy was all pleasure. Maybe not in the usual meaning of the word, but it had been just for fun. Neither of them went into it with thoughts of killing the other, or else only one of them would have woken up this morning.

"You. A Master Vampire waving his hand around like an idiot," Buffy replied - her use of the term 'Master Vampire' only used in a mocking tone to irritate him. She knew to never underestimate him, because you do that and you die. Never underestimate a vampire that has lived past the fledgling state, because they obviously lived that long for a reason. Buffy couldn't help but smile when she flexed her arm muscles and felt the reassuring soreness that she only got from a really worthwhile fight. Shoving her hair back into her ponytail, Buffy winced as her fingers grazed over an open cut on the back of her head. If she'd been a normal human she'd have gotten a concussion.

"A little worse for wear, eh Slayer? Well I'll be seein' ya, I've got some patching up to do, as do you," Spike said before turning his back on the girl and entering the bar, knowing they had sewer access and would know of places he could stay.

All Buffy could do was shake her head at him. L.A. was turning out to be even more eventful that she had initially thought. She exited the alley and reveled in the warmth of the early morning sunlight. It was a start to what was going to be an incredibly nice day. Buffy was so lost in her thoughts, she hardly even noticed all the strange looks she received. Her jacket was torn and bloody in places, her hair was stained with blood, and her face was a mess of black and blue. It was a small wonder that no cops stopped her on her way to the motel, but then again, this _was_ L.A.

When she reached the parking lot of the motel, she was taken aback at the sight of crime scene tape and cop cars. The owner of the motel was talking to two of the police officers while the others were with crime scene investigators. Still a bit leery of cops, Buffy tried to sneak back towards her motel room. If she had to talk to the police, she didn't want to when she looked like this. Just when she thought she'd make it away without being noticed, one of the female officers called out "hey miss!" and the sound of approaching footsteps had Buffy cringing and slowly turning around. A young, blonde officer was only a few strides away when Buffy turned towards her, and the officer was obviously taken aback by her appearance.

"Can I help you?" Buffy asked her, trying her best to sound like a normal, not freaked out teenager. The injuries she had must have disguised how young she actually was, because the officer didn't even comment on it.

"First off, are you alright? Well, I guess that's a dumb question to ask since you've obviously been in a fight. I'm officer Lockley, I just need to ask you a few questions," she stuck her hand out for a handshake and Buffy returned it, forgetting she had Slayer strength. Lockley winced and shook her hand after the shake. "Dang, you've got a strong handshake. So, what's your name?" She asked, pulling out her notepad and pen.

Buffy panicked for a second, before remembering she'd already settled on a fake name and background story, just in case people were looking for her. She didn't want to be found yet, if ever.

"Anne. Anne Giles," she said with a smile. She figured that was a good fake last name since Giles was like a father to her.

Officer Lockley wrote it down and then followed up with, "How long have you been staying at this motel?" Buffy felt like she had just been backed into a corner. If she said just last night, then they'll think she did it, but if she lied then she'd look even more suspicious.

"Yesterday at around 5ish, why, did something happen? I checked in, took a shower and then left, I was just coming back right now," she said with an embarrassed look on her face. Technically she had woken up with a guy, so she'd let the cop come to her own assumptions. She obviously did because there was an awkward silence for a moment before the officer wrote down what she'd been told.

"Have you seen anyone strange or out of place or heard anything weird since you've been here?" Buffy laughed, which caused officer Lockley to cock her eyebrow at her. Buffy quickly pushed away the humor of the question in order to answer it so she could get the cop to go away.

"Well it IS a motel, I think strange people are a bit of a given, besides that, no, not really, unless you count the people in the room next to mine having extremely loud sex, but that's pretty motel-y too. . . "Buffy trailed off, feeling awkward for talking about sex to this random cop. "Can I go now, officer? I kinda need to get cleaned up."

"Oh, yeah, I think I've got all I need," just as Buffy started turning around, Lockley placed her arm on Buffy's shoulder. Resisting the instinct to grab the arm and flip her over her shoulder, Buffy glanced back at her, a questioning look on her face.

"Listen, if you ever need any help, just come on down to the station. You shouldn't have to live in fear for whatever your boyfriend does to you," Officer Lockley told her, handing over her card. With a reassuring smile, she left, joining her partner to discuss the case.

Buffy blushed as she stepped into her motel room. _Well that was awkward . . . especially since it was Spike I was fighting last night. I wonder why he didn't kill me when he had the chance._ Her mind whirled as she walked inside. Later today if she didn't look too scary she'd go try and find a job. Hopefully last night was the last she'd see of Spike, but with her luck, she doubted it.

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Meanwhile, the vampire in question was deciding how he was going to decorate his new apartment. The previous owners, who had the rent paid off, mysteriously died the night before in some sort of demonic ritual, so of course Spike jumped on the chance to take over the place. A friendly demon named Gus had told him about it. The bloke annoyed Spike to no end with his meaningless conversation, but Gus was with the in-crowd of demons, and even though Spike didn't play well with others, he knew when he should rub elbows with the elite evil in the city. Most of them were represented by some law firm called Wolfram and Hart, but Spike thought they sounded a bit too corporate for his tastes.

Gus had questioned Spike about his wounds, and for some reason Spike didn't want to tell him it had been the Slayer. She was his to fight with; he didn't want the whole demonic community fighting his sworn enemy. Spike liked the fact that he was the only Big Bad in town that knew the Slayer had relocated. _I'm surprised she fought so well, what with the emotional distress from killin' her honey and all. Girl's got a killer right hook, _Spike thought as he absentmindedly rubbed his bruised cheek. He'd had some blood since he woke up that morning, so he was somewhat healed, at least his eyes weren't nearly swollen shut anymore.

As Spike put away his meager belongings, promising himself he'd go rob and kill somebody for some cash, he plopped down in the chair in the living room and turned on the TV. As he had expected, news of multiple dead bodies found was on. According to Gus, some large demon cult was set about doing something evil, like those demon groups usually are. He was just about to get up and grab some bagged blood he'd bought from the demon bar, when the camera shifted its view and a petite blonde was shown talking to an officer. A slow smile lit up Spike's face when he recognized The Slayer. She looked a bit worse for wear, but now he knew where she was staying. Making note of the door she walked into after the camera had left its focus on her, Spike figured out what his evening plans were going to be. Shrugging off his duster, Spike wandered into the bedroom and decided it was time for a little bit of kip. After that, he'd be in top shape to kick the Slayer's arse, and maybe kill her if he was in the mood, or if she had a death wish, and he was just thinking that she may.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Enjoy the new chapter! I'm hoping to include some more characters from Angel soon (Like Gunn and Fred before she gets stuck in Pylea). Review maybe?

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After hours of searching, she had finally found a job at a diner. Sure the owner was skeevy, but it paid decently and the hours weren't too bad. Buffy was exhausted, the combination of the fight with Spike yesterday, wandering around Los Angeles, and lack of good food. She didn't realize how much she appreciated her mother's cooking until she had to do without. All she'd had to eat was a candy bar and a bag of chips from a gas station she'd passed on her way back to the motel. She wanted to wait until she had some more money, because as it was, she wasn't exactly swimming in cash. Who'd have thought living on her own would have been so stressful. _Not to mention depressing_, she thought as she tossed her jacket on the bed when she walked into her motel room. She really didn't want to go slaying tonight, or ever really, but she needed something to distract her. _And you might run into Spike again . . ._ a part of her reminded herself. She was sorta shocked. She was probably only thinking that because beating the tar out of each other had allowed her to release a butt load of built up stress and tension.

_Speaking of tension_, she thought as she rubbed one of her shoulders. She was still sore, and her limbs felt all tense and ready for a fight. When she wandered into the bathroom, she set about cleaning off her foundation and pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She winced as her fingers passed over the cut on the back of her head. It was mostly healed, but still pretty tender. When she glanced in the mirror, she couldn't hold back the snort of laughter. The discussion with that cop earlier flitted through her mind. _Ha! Spike, my boyfriend! No, if he was I would have killed him by now,_ her thoughts went where they usually did lately. Angel. She missed him, but it was her fault. She killed him. Sure, she saved the world, but did she get any recognition? No. Honestly, it seemed like she never did. She always got blamed for fighting and skipping class, and it's not like she could use the excuse, "oh sorry, I was out slaying demons that are trying to kill you all," nope, she just got detention. Or expelled.

Buffy shook her head and mentally slapped herself around a little. Self-pity was not becoming. As she headed back to grab her jacket and stakes, a knock at her door startled her. What was somebody doing knocking on her door this late at night? It had to be at least eleven. Sighing in irritation, she quickly gathered her jacket, slipped it on, and put her stakes in her pockets. Buffy peeked out the peephole and saw nothing, so she rolled her eyes and opened the door to reveal . . .

Nothing. Puzzled, Buffy peeked her head out and was surprised by a firm grip grabbing her and pulling her out the door, slamming it behind them. The figure easily picked her up and started carrying her away.

"Hey! What gives, you big lunk!" She complained as she got one of her arms free and bopped him on the head. He cursed and dropped her onto the pavement, but she regained her footing only a few seconds afterwards. Glaring up at her failure of a kidnapper, she was in for a shock.

"Spike? What the hell do you think you're doing? Wasn't it clear I don't like you by our little fight in the alley yesterday?" She asked him, her hands on her hips. _God he is irritating. Attractive, but irritating_. Buffy just kept on surprising herself, great, she thought he was attractive. She really needed to stay away from vampires. Spike crossed his arms across his chest and tilted his head, staring at her, as if he was trying to figure her out. Buffy couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through her; it felt like he was seeing right into her.

"I think you'd have to agree that was more than a little spat yesterday. C'mon you know you felt something. The fire, the passion, the intensity . . ." he trailed off, his eyes practically bore a hole through her and it made her shiver, and she felt a twinge of something else mixed in as well.

"You are still talking about the fight right?" She asked, not realizing it was spoken in a soft, practically whispered tone. A grin lit up his face when he recognized lust in her hazel eyes. She probably didn't even realize he could see it clearly in her expression.

"Don't know, pet, am I?" He asked her, deciding it would be fun to mess with the Slayer. It would at least entertain him before he killed her. He honestly didn't expect her to punch him. It was strong enough to make him stumble backwards. Before he could ever yell "bloody hell," she had punched him again. When she went in for a third, he grabbed her wrist and tossed her backwards. She sailed back and landed hard on the pavement. Spike wiped blood off his face from her punches and glared at her. She glared right back as she unsteadily got to her feet. Her headache she'd had earlier that day came back with a vengeance.

They stood that way for what felt like forever, just staring at each other, until Buffy broke the silence.

"What do you want, Spike? Can't I have some peace and quiet for once! I helped you get your ho bag of a girlfriend back, so go win her back or something," she told him, lashing out because at this moment she felt miserable. He was the last reminder she had from Sunnydale, and she wanted him gone. He was making it impossible to forget what she left behind, and she desperately wanted to make with the forgetting. At least for now.

"Yeah? Well lot of good that did. She left me. Said I was just too covered in you, so here I am, I don't exactly know why I'm here, but it was to escape from anything that reminded me of that bloody Sunnyhell, and then I run into you. Can't you leave me alone!" He yelled at her. God, he was pissed, and it was all because of this young . . . _girl!_ He growled in irritation.

"I'm having this odd urge to beat you to a pulp right now, and I think I'm going to indulge it," Buffy commented with a shrug.

"Unless I kill you, of course, can't forget about that, kitten. I want you dead. Maybe Dru will take me back I bring back your head on a bloody railroad spike," he told her before they both settled into fighting stances, watching each other and waiting for who was going to make the first move. Spike kept his game face off for now; he wanted to drag out this fight as long as possible. They both waited for a few moments before, almost simultaneously charging at each other.

Spike went to elbow Buffy in the face, but she blocked it, and led the fight somewhere more secluded. The fight continued as they made their way to the back side of the motel, where nobody would see them trying to kill each other. Buffy kicked Spike in the chest, knocking him back against the wall. He grinned and charged at her, reversing the position. He slammed her back into the wall. This fight was much shorter than the last one, it was almost disappointing. She struggled against him as he stared at her. He vamped out and started lowering his head, until he caught sight of her slightly quivering lip, she was trying to hide her fear, but he could feel it from her heart hammering against her chest, and that slight tremor in her lips.

Before he could change his mind, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her deeply. She didn't pull away; in fact, she returned it with a fervor that was surprising. _I guess fighting gets her all hot and bothered too_. At this close proximity, she could probably tell he got off on fighting. When the kiss started heating up even more, he shoved her, hard, against the wall before backing off. This would be interesting. Buffy brought a hand to her mouth, startled by what had just happened. Before she could say anything, Spike was leaving, his black leather duster rippling as he stalked away into the night. Just as he was about to leave her line of sight, he turned around, and while walking backwards, he blew her a kiss and winked at her before disappearing to do whatever vampires like Spike did at night.

Buffy fought the urge to scream in frustration. She slid down the wall and sat with her back against it. Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed. She didn't know why she had the sudden urge to, but something inside of her was broken, as made obvious in her desperation. She had _kissed_ Spike, something was seriously wrong with that. She felt horrible about herself. Angel had only been gone a few days and she was already off kissing another vampire. She was a kiss slut.

Buffy stayed in that position for a few hours before she was able to get up and head off to bed. She was numb. After her tear-fest, she just felt empty. Sliding under the covers in her clothes, she closed her eyes and hoped that she could just forget about this night. About Spike. And about how badly she wanted to kiss him again.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sorry guys, I was having some serious writer's block. Here's another chapter for ya. The next one will be in Spike's perspective. I've decided to start splitting it up li

ke that. I'll alternate the perspective every other chaper from now on. Oh and I went ahead and changed this to a crossover because I've started adding people from Angel.

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The next morning, Buffy woke up as sore as ever. Might have to do with sobbing her eyes out, but it was most likely due to all the fighting she'd done with Spike. _Oh. Ohh no. So not thinking about him. Ever._ She shook her head and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. "8am? Darn. My shift starts in like an hour," she complained as she forced herself out of bed and into the shower. Most of her wounds, except for a few new ones from last night, were completely healed. _Gotta love that Slayer healing mojo._ The only evidence of her getting the utter crap beaten out of her was the large scab on the back of her head. _Gross. I hope that doesn't like fall out at work._

After her morning routine, Buffy couldn't help but feel safe when she felt the sun bathe her in light. No vampires were going to bother her now, especially not stupid, leather wearing, bleached, vampires with a smirk that just needs to be wiped off one way or another. "Ugh!" She was so irritated with him. He was so annoying! Shaking her head, she shoved the thoughts of him aside, she needed to focus and just pretend he didn't exist. Buffy was so focused that she didn't notice the slightly older guy in front of her until she practically plowed him down.

"Oh gosh! I'm a totally space-ace! Sorry!" Buffy exclaimed as they both grabbed each other to keep from falling. The person she ran into was a muscular, dark-skinned guy who was probably only a few years older than her. Maybe 20 or so? He seemed like a decently easy going person if the grin on his face despite being almost knocked over said anything about him.

"Dang girl, you just about knocked me right over. You must be in a hurry. Mind if I walk you to wherever you're going? This isn't exactly the right area for a lil white girl like you," he told her and she had to hold back a laugh. She was The Slayer, she could probably handle a few thugs, but she decided what the heck, she hadn't talked to anyone besides _Spike_ since arriving in L.A. and she was lonely.

"Oh, I'm just walking to work uh…?" she trailed off, not knowing his name. He obviously knew what her hesitation was about because he stuck his hand out and introduced himself.

"The name's Gunn. And you?"

"I'm Buffy," she replied with a smile. He gave her a strange look. "What?" She asked, hoping she didn't have food in her teeth or something.

"Buffy? That's a weird name," he told her while they continued walking down the street. The place Buffy worked was just across the street from where they were, so their meeting was going to be rather short.

"Gunn's not that normal either. That's a weapon – not a name," she replied matter-of-factly, it always annoyed her when people made fun of her name.

"Who's to say it can't be both?" He asked when they were just arriving at the diner Buffy found a job at.

"Well – uh this is my stop, so thanks. Sorry for trying to run you over earlier," she apologized sheepishly. He waved it off though, not really much for holding grudges.

"It's fine. I'll see you around then, Buffy," he told her before walking off. Shrugging, Buffy turned around and started her first day at work.

* * *

It was just as terrible as she imagined it would be. First they stuck her on dishes duty. She scrubbed and scrubbed for at least two hours of her shift. Her hands were all wrinkly by the end of it and her pretty pink nail polish was all chipped to hell. It was awful. It just ended up becoming worse as her shift wore on. She signed up to work a 12 hour shift because she desperately needed money, and she was starting to regret that decision. The customers were all total creeps or losers and kept trying to flirt with her or grab her ass, and no matter how badly she wanted to, she couldn't beat them up. It was weird having people she wasn't allowed to use her Slayer strength on. God when she got back to her motel room she was going to go out and find a whole nest of vamps to take out. She was miserable the whole 12 hours, but she got plenty of tips just for being blonde and cute. The tips you got during the day, you were able to pocket, so Buffy walked out at 9pm with a wad of cash – if she counted it – it added up to around one hundred dollars. It was a nice, comforting feeling having that in her jacket pocket - almost as comforting as the stake in her other pocket. She wasn't going to even bother with going back to the motel. She needed to kill something, and now would be preferable.

As if on cue, she heard a scream ring out nearby and felt the tingles that meant a vamp was nearby. Thankfully it didn't feel like Spike tingles. As she ran towards where the scream came from, she noticed that the tingles were more than usual, that usually meant more than one vamp, but that was fine by her. She was irritated and needed a punching bag. When she rounded the corner, she spotted three vamps that were surrounding two girls who looked like they were just on their way to a fun night out in the city. When she approached, the vampires turned towards her and hissed. These guys were older than fledges though, so this might be a bit more challenging than she originally thought, but she was the Slayer, she could handle it.

"Slayer!" They all yelled and abandoned their meal. Buffy didn't even have to tell them to get out of there, the girls just bolted as soon as the attention left them. Buffy smiled as the vamps drew closer and prepared to attack.

"Ooh! I'm famous," she grinned as she dodged a punch to her face and then sent a roundhouse kick to the vamp that failed to hit her. The three quickly surrounded her, but she still felt like the odds were pretty decent. While she was busy staking the first vampire that attacked her, one of the others grabbed her hair and pulled, yanking her back against him while he tried to bite her. She lashed out with her fist and busted his nose. He roared in pain and grabbed at his nose. While he was busy being a baby and wailing about his nose, Buffy started on the last vampire. He was more cautious than the other two and obviously the leader of the little pack they had.

"I've always wanted to kill a Slayer," he told her with a cocky grin that reminded her way too much of Spike. Rolling her eyes, Buffy shifted slightly so her back wasn't turned to him completely and staked the other vamp that she'd punched. Now it was just the two of them in the alley.

"Yeah? Well today's not your lucky day," she replied with a grin before advancing on him. It seemed like the world stopped around her and it was just her and this nameless vampire. He attacked first, charging at her while vamping out. She wasn't expected the suddenness of the attack and was thrown across the alley by him, slamming into the brick wall. She felt the back of her head when she shot to her feet and it came back bloody. _Great, that was just getting better_. It was time to finish this.

With an irritated sigh, Buffy shook hair out of her eyes that came undone from her ponytail and she and the vamp started trading blows. It was a pretty equal fight and in the end, she almost wasn't able to stake him. That was a scary thought. When the dust settled, Buffy leaned back against the wall from her spot on the ground and tried not to cry. _God, I'm losing it. I'm off my game. Thank God Spike is the only one that knows I'm here now. _Using her hand to pull her up the wall to stand, Buffy shuffled off and wandered down the street, looking for more people who needed saving, even if she wasn't exactly in top shape. She didn't notice the lizard-like creature that had been watching her the whole time and started to follow her.

Buffy ended up near that alley she'd first fought Spike in. It was like her feet unconsciously led her there and she rolled her eyes. She wandered down the alley and smiled at the broken glass bottle that was still there. Now that had been satisfying, even more so than it had been at the time when she thought she was just dealing with another run of the mill vamp.

"Returning to the scene of the crime, eh, luv?" A familiar British voice asked from the darkness behind her. She whirled around just in time to see the door to the demon club closing. So that's where he was spending all his time. She stored that little piece of info away for later. Buffy felt a little bit of panic considering she'd failed to even notice his approach. It was scary being around him when she was off her game, he was the one vampire, besides the Master, that would have killed her had it not been for her family and friends . . . that she didn't have around right now.

"Spike, what do you want?" She asked him; resigned to having to talk to the very guy she'd been trying to avoid thinking about all day.

"Why do you always assume I want something? I was just coming outside to have a smoke and you're here. The better question is what do you want, Slayer?" He turned the whole statement around on her as he lit up and took a puff of his cigarette. Buffy coughed as he blew the smoke out into her face.

"I don't want anything from _you_," she said, trying to get as much disgust into her words as possible. Spike saw right through it though. He just tilted his head at her and then before she knew it, he had her back pressed against the wall behind her, his cigarette long forgotten. His face was so close that if Buffy tilted her head slightly, their lips would touch. She didn't, even though she really wanted to despite everything. This close and his scent invaded her nostrils. Leather, smoke, the faintest hint of cologne, and a smell that was purely Spike. There was no describing it any other way, and it was affecting her in ways it really, _really_ shouldn't.

"Really?" He asked and made a show of sniffing her, which was beyond weird, but his next words shot a jolt of panic and something a little more surprising through her. A feeling that even Angel hadn't been able to bring out in her that often. The last time was when he was Angelus and they were under that spell at the high school. "Because it sure smells like it," he told her with a smirk. That smirk that she hated so much. The one that meant that he was a step ahead and he knew it. The one he always wore when he got to her, and god did it piss her off.

"You pig!" She yelled and shoved him off of her. He let her and was laughing while she fumed. She never once got the urge to stake him though. She was at the point where she was so angry her arms and legs were shaking, but the thought hadn't even crossed her mind just to stake him. It was totally because he was a familiar sight in an unfamiliar city, not because she was attracted to him. Nope.

"You know you love it, Summers," he said with a wink. He started walking back into the demon bar, but seemed to think of something, so he turned back around towards her. "And Buffy? . . . Oink." He threw his head back and laughed at the expression on her face before heading back inside. Swiping tears from her face, Buffy turned around and started heading home. The lizard-like demon that had been hiding behind a dumpster during the exchange between Spike and her poked its head out of its hiding place and scurried to follow the vampire back inside the bar.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Short chapter but I've started work on the next one and it'll be longer. Sorry I've sucked at updating my fics lately. My writing style has changed a lot since I last updated things so it's been hard for me to continue them.

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Spike was busy helping himself to a drink while trying to hold back how amused he was. Her face had been hilarious. She'd had that needy expression when he had her back pressed against the wall and then was so pissed when he pointed out the obvious. He'd forgotten how fun she was to mess with. While he smiled to himself at the bar, he didn't notice that lizard demon that had been following Buffy all night slither on into the demon club. It made a bee-line towards the group of huge, bulky demons that always took the corner booth every night. At first the demons looked like they were going to beat the much smaller demon to a bloody pulp, but with a few hurried gestures and words, they allowed him to speak. It wasn't a quick conversation though. After a few minutes they let the demon sit with them and the conversation continued. Spike was blissfully unaware and was enjoying his whiskey. Back at the corner booth, the demons were all rather pissed off now. The best one at hiding that fact was sent to the bar.

Spike hardly glanced up as the demon sat down beside him. The only reason he paid any mind to it was the large hand it patted his back with. The demon chuckled and began talking to him.

"So, you're Spike right? You the one that kills Slayers?" The demon asked him. Spike nodded and puffed up proudly, ready to brag and fill the demon in, but before he got the chance to, he was grabbed by the collar of his duster and hauled out the back entrance of the bar. The rest of the group followed them out, dragging the little lizard demon with them. Spike struggled in the large demon's firm grip. "Oi! Watch the leather, mate! Gonna bruise it," he complained before getting tossed to the ground roughly.

"Not the only thing I'm gonna bruise. What? Thought you'd keep her all to yourself?" He asked and kicked Spike when he attempted to get to his feet. This of course brassed him off. Spike shot to his feet – fangs at the ready. His gaze shot over to the little lizard demon. He had been seeing that bloke around after encounters with the Slayer, must've been that little nark. Spike would deal with him later, and the look he shot him must've shown that because the smaller demon cowered behind the group of others. Spike snarled and began circling the much larger demon, looking for a hole in his defenses.

"Yeah, they call me the Slayer of Slayers for a reason you git. Why the hell would I tell you she's in town? That Slayer is _mine_," Spike wasn't about to tell them he might mean that in a way other than just killing her. He wasn't going to lie, fighting the Slayer made him want her in entirely different ways and he hated it. He was supposed to kill her, not have to wank off while thinking about her. It was becoming a habit and was starting to not be enough. He knew she felt the same lust towards him, but that stubborn bint would never admit it – even when he pointed it out to her!

Spike would have continued his inner tirade if at that particular moment the demon hadn't decided to attempt to deck him in the face. He ducked and came back with his own attack. His duster swirled with him as he sent a roundhouse kick into his legs to knock him off his feet. The demon fell back with a grunt and Spike would have gone for the kill if his groupies hadn't decided to drag him away from their leader and beat him to a bloody pulp. When they were done, they walked away, laughing and going on about how _they_ were going to kill The Slayer. Spike groaned and sat up slowly. His ribs protested, a few were likely broken and cracked and he spit blood onto the pavement. Once on his feet, he started walking -more of limping - to where Buffy was staying as fast as he could. These demons were bad news and she didn't have her friends backing her up. Spike kept telling himself he just wanted to keep her alive so he could kill her, but it was more than that. He was starting to _care _about her. The thought made him growl, but there it was. That's why he was sticking around L.A, that's why he wasn't able to kill her the few days ago when he should have. Spike was a sorry sight when he made it to the parking lot of the motel and headed up towards her room. He hadn't been invited in before, so he knocked lightly and hoped Buffy was there to answer the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Buffy arrived at her motel room a little after 12 am and sighed in relief as she closed the door and leaned against it. Today had been hell, but at least she didn't have work tomorrow. Before she collapsed on her bed - fearing she'd just fall asleep and not get back up - she hurried into her bathroom to check out the few injuries she'd received from that fight with the vampires in the alley. As expected, the back of her head was covered in blood . . . _again._ This was turning into a bit of a problem. She couldn't slay if she had this head wound continually reopening, even with Slayer healing. Everything else was just minor cuts and scrapes, so she just washed them out and bandaged them with the first aid kit under the sink. Just after she finished brushing her teeth and was about to gather her pajamas and take a shower, she heard light knocking on the door. "Oh great, not this again," she sighed and set down her things and fished her stake out of her pocket. Buffy peeked out the peep hole when she crossed the room, and she wasn't exactly surprised to see it was Spike. Why couldn't he leave her alone!? It was hard enough living on her own in a large, mostly unfamiliar city; it was even worse with him not leaving her alone. _You're just mad because he's making you think of him as something besides something to kill,_ the thought bubbled up of its own accord. _You like him._

Buffy shook her head and repressed _that_ thought. No way did she like him, but she was curious as to why he was in front of her door and looking battered and bruised. "Oi, c'mon! Open up! 'aven't got all night here!" She heard him complain from the other side of the door and resisted the urge to giggle. She yanked open the door and plastered a glare onto her face. "Spike, what are you doing here?" She asked with a hostile edge in her tone. Her shot her a withering looking. "Well 'm tryin' to help you, but that would involve you inviting me in first," he told her and she scoffed.

"Oh right, great plan. So you can bite me?" She leaned against the door jab but where she was out of his reach. She crossed her arms and tried to look intimidating – which with hard to do with her hair all disheveled and bruises on her arms and face, but she managed. It didn't affect Spike in the slightest. He even managed to grin deviously at her.

"Luv, if I wanted to bite you, I would have done it when I had your hot lil self pressed up against the wall and your panties practically soaked through," he replied with a wink and a cocky grin. Buffy rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep a blush from staining her cheeks.

"You're really not doing a good job of convincing me to let you in," she told him, scowling despite the blush still coloring her face. "Oh and Spike? You're a pig," Buffy continued and made a face at him. He sighed and wiped the grin off his face.

"Slayer, this is serious. Some lil nark of a demon ratted me out for hiding the fact you've been in L.A and I got my arse beat by a group of some pretty tough and bulky demons. I suspect they'll come after you now – bragging rights an' all," he shrugged, but made a face when a twinge of pain ran through his damaged ribs. During his explanation, Buffy's eyes widened in shock. She had expected him to run off to all his little friends when he first saw her and get them all to help him kill her. The fact that he'd hid it from them all this time without her even asking him to amazed her and made her actually consider trusting him – which was beyond wigging her out.

"So, wait? Why do you want to help again?" She sighed and shook her head, deciding if he was telling the truth then it was best she let him in so she had longer to prepare. Making sure he saw her stake was at the ready, she stepped back and said, "Come in, Spike." He nodded his thanks and stumbled inside, still a bit unsteady on his feet. When he turned around to close the door, Buffy let sympathy and concern leak into her features. Sometimes she forgot he was an evil vampire dead set on killing her. He turned back around and shot her a dirty look. "Stop lookin' at me like that. I've had worse," Spike pointed out. "I clearly remember having a church organ knocked onto my spine," he shot her a frown and she actually looked a bit sheepish. "Oh forgot about that did you?"

"It was an accident! I was just planning to knock you out and leave with Angel," she sighed, not wanting to think about life back in Sunnydale. "Anyways, let me at least um clean you up since you were nice enough to come warn me," if she'd been around her friends, Buffy never would have thought to be nice to Spike. It was almost like they guilted her into some of the things she did, unintentional or not. Besides, helping him was the least she could do for him after he risked being dust in order to warn her about some big scary demons. Any other time and she would be confident in her slaying skills, but with that slip up earlier that night in the alley with the other vampires plus having nobody but her mortal enemy as backup made her nervous. She didn't like being nervous. Spike seemed surprised when she went into the bathroom and got out the first aid kit. "Sit," she commanded. He was about to argue, but there must have been something in her expression that made him shut up and be cooperative. _That_ never happened.

Ten minutes later and she had all his wounds cleaned despite knowing they would heal soon anyways. The only problem was his ribs. When she brought it up he waved a hand at her dismissively. "They'll knit together eventually, don't know why you care anyways," if she'd been paying closer attention she would have caught the hopeful look in his eyes, but at the present she was trying to get into the Slayer state of mind.

"So I guess we should go look for those demons, huh?" She asked as she pulled out two swords she had in her weapons bag. Before Spike could reply though, the door was kicked it and Spike yelped and avoided getting a shard of wood driven through him like a vampire shish kabob. Buffy jumped back and stared up at the five demons that were now filling her small motel room. They were absolutely _huge _too. _No wonder Spike got his ass kicked, _she thought before focusing. "Spike!" She yelled and tossed one of the swords to him. Buffy didn't have a chance to see if he caught it though because at that particular moment she got backhanded in the face by the demon that was obviously the leader. He was stronger than she expected and she flew back and hit into the wall, bashing her head again. _Hello brain damaged Buffy,_ she thought in irritation despite the pain.

"Always have wanted to kill a Slayer," he murmured with a smirk. He glanced back at the others with him. "Take care of the vampire. She's mine."

"Yeah well join the club," Buffy retorted and slashed at him with the sword. He grunted and held a beefy hand against the cut on his arm from blocking her move. "Also," she continued, jumping up and kicking him in the jaw, causing him to stagger back a few paces. "This Slayer belongs to _nobody_." It was as if this jerk's cocky manner is what sent her Slayer butt in gear because she blocked most of the attacks directed her way and finally after a rather drawn out fight Buffy hacked at his neck with the sword. His eyes bugged out and his hands automatically reached up to hold his throat. It was too late though. Blood streamed down his body and he fell to his knees. Leaving him for dead, she glanced across the room and her heart leapt into her throat.

Two of the demons were dead at Spike's feet, their heads ripped completely off – Buffy wasn't about to ask how he managed that – but the other two had overpowered the already weakened vampire. One was holding him as he struggled and the other had his hand pulled back with one of her stakes in his grip. He was about to dust Spike. Without realizing she did so, Buffy yelled, "NO!" and bolted across the room in time to tackle the demon to the ground. Spike was _hers!_ _To kill of course,_ she mentally added when she realized why she just saved him. She obviously wanted to kill him herself, it was only fair. Overcome with a fury that would have made her uneasy had she any control over it, she punched the demon repeatedly in the face until it was knocked out, then she pulled out the sword and cut his head clean off. Blood spurted out of the wound and got on her face, but she was too in the moment to care. When she finally realized what she'd done, her eyes widened and she awkwardly got to her feet. Buffy couldn't help a glance at Spike just in time to see him rip off the other demon's head and she winced. He leaned back against the bed and panted unnecessarily. She walked towards him. "Are you okay?" She asked. His eyes were closed and he simply nodded. Spike was exhausted. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, Buffy was too. Figuring she was home free, Buffy finally relaxed. "So much for my security deposit," she joked. Spike chuckled lightly before wincing. Glancing down at her hands, she wrinkled her nose and wiped them on her pants. Before she could say anything else, she made a startled sound when two large hands lifted her off the ground from behind and started choking her. She kicked her feet wildly and clawed at her throat, but to no avail. The only sound she could make was a small squeak. It was enough though. Spike's eyes shot open and he reacted immediately, not even pausing to think as to why. He leapt at the demon, snarling, and bit down with his fangs on the demon's large arm. It growled in pain and dropped Buffy to the ground in order to shake off the vampire. Buffy sank to her knees on the ground and gasped in breathes through her now sore throat.

The demon and Spike were a snarling mess of fangs and fists. They smashed into furniture and Spike narrowly avoided getting dusted on a chair. Finally he gained the upper hand and got hold of one of the swords they'd both dropped during the fight and sliced off the leader's head. He sank to the ground and crawled over to where Buffy was. "You alright, Buffy?" He asked, surprising himself by calling her by her name. "You gotta cut their heads clean off. Guess I should have told you that," he continued. It explained why the demon didn't die after she slit its throat. She nodded in response to his question and cleared her throat before managing, "I could have gotten him." Spike rolled his eyes, but good-naturedly this time.

"Always a stubborn bint you are," he remarked and slowly rose to his feet. Spike offered her his hand, which she ignored and pushed herself up off the ground, wavering a bit on her feet. "You're bleeding," he remarked and she nodded again.

"Hit my . . . head," she murmured and before she could grab hold of anything, everything went dark and she collapsed. The last thing she recalled were strong arms gripping her and keeping her from falling to the ground.


	7. Chapter 7

_What the fuck are you doin', mate?_ Spike asked himself as he exited the motel room with his arms full of unconscious, bleeding, Slayer. She was easy pickings, he could bite her now and heal up his wounds and finally say he'd gotten his third Slayer, but what was the fun that? He didn't want this dance to end yet. Dragging it out was endangering his final goal though. The more time he spent around her, the less he wanted to kill her. It was bloody ridiculous! They were mortal enemies. Vampires and Slayers were supposed to fight to the death, not rescue each other. "It's too late now," he muttered to himself. Moments after he caught Buffy from falling to the ground, he heard police sirens in the distance. It wouldn't do any good to have either of them locked up by the cops. Without pausing to think about the consequences, he had gathered her up in his arms and bolted.

His gaze drifted to her blood spattered face. Watching her slice the head off that demon that had been attacking him was beautiful. There was this dangerous, predatory gleam in her eyes that he couldn't recall ever seeing before. She must finally be discovering where her power lies. Despite their calling to take out the forces of evil in the world, their power was rooted in the very darkness they sought to destroy. It was ironic really. Unconscious though, nobody would think this slight, blonde girl was some skilled fighter meant to protect the masses. He stared at her for a few more moments before he remembered that dawn was only a few hours away. He picked up the pace on the way to the building he was staying at, and yet nobody even glanced twice at him as he passed them. One would think a man in leather carting away a cute little blonde girl would at least rouse some sort of suspicion.

Finally, he reached his building and shifted Buffy in his arms so he could open the door. Upon entering, he immediately walked into his bedroom – it was about the only room he'd bothered to personalize so far – and gently placed her on the bed. Now he was able to finally rest for a few moments. After laying her down, he stripped off his leather duster to cover her with rather than risk waking her up by moving her so he could place the covers over her. Now that she was temporarily taken care of, he sat and rubbed his hands over his face. When he realized his hands had been covered in demon blood, he grimaced. "Bloody brilliant," he muttered and left to go wash his hands and his face as well as he could. Spike was sore and tired, but he still brought back a soapy washcloth with him in order to wipe Buffy's face, neck, and hands as well as he could. He placed his hand at the back of her head to move her head to reach the blood on her neck, and that was when he remembered she hit her head. With a defeated sigh – he might as well admit he was a giant git for even caring – he left to find the first aid kit and cleaned bandaged the wound as best he could.

Now that she was taken care of, he left the room and yanked off his shirt and practically collapsed on the couch. In only a few moments, he was fast asleep – splayed out on the couch.

Buffy groaned. Where was she? The last thing she recalled was complaining about her head, and then nothing. She sat up and rubbed her eyes before looking around. A wave of panic passed through her when she took in the unfamiliar surroundings, but when she glanced down at the blanket – which she discovered was actually a _very_ familiar leather coat – she realized what must have happened. Spike took her. For what purpose, she wasn't sure, but it couldn't be good. That's what she thought at least until she felt the back of her head and her hand met a large bandage. "What is he up to?" She wondered and gingerly rose out of bed. Her muscles screamed in protest, but she was used to waking up sore after fights like the one she had yesterday.

After using the restroom – which was littered with the materials from the first aid kit that Spike must have pilfered through - she turned down the hallway until she entered what she assumed was the living room. Her jaw dropped when she spotted the vampire in question on the couch. _Ooh yummy_ she couldn't help but think when she took in his shirtless appearance. Her face flushed in mortification. This was _Spike!_ He's not attractive! He's evil and gross and . . . _oh screw it_. She wasn't even going to bother trying to convince herself anymore. He was kinda a hunk for an undead, evil guy. Buffy closed her mouth and tried to sneak past him and into the kitchen, but she walked too close to the couch and his hand closed around her arm and she yelped. He sat up and freed her arm. "Why are you up so damn early?" He grumbled and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Spike – it's like 10:30," she replied as he rose from the couch and gestured for her to follow him into the kitchen.

"Yeah well that's bloody early for me. Sit down," he instructed and she huffed and was about to argue, but decided against it since he saved her when he could have left her to bleed out of her skull. Buffy sat on the edge of a chair and watched him in interest. Was he doing what she thought he was? After a few moments, it seemed her odd theory was actually true. He was making her breakfast! Spike seemed to have forgotten he was shirtless with the Slayer in the same room as him and he pulled down a glass from the cupboard after a few moments of rifling around and sat it down in front of her along with a carton of orange juice. Without pausing to see if she was going to pour herself some, he found a frying pan and took out a carton of eggs from the fridge and some bacon. He occasionally liked to eat, so he liked to keep the places he stayed fully stocked in case he was struck with a random craving. Buffy poured orange juice out for her and then placed the carton back in the fridge after asking if Spike wanted any. This was so bizarre! They were being so civil towards each other and Spike was downright domestic! The confused Slayer shook her head. She was way too weary to question it. While he was frying up the eggs and bacon, Buffy found a loaf of bread and a toaster and decided to stick in some toast for them. She actually forgot he was a vampire for a moment. When the bacon started to hiss and pop, she glanced at his bare chest.

"Um, Spike, maybe you should -," she'd been about to tell him he should probably get a shirt on when a piece of bacon popped and sent hot grease onto his bare skin.

"Bloody hell!" He yelled and snatched up a dishrag to wipe the burning fluid off his skin. When he glanced down, there was a red blotch in the middle of his chest.

"-get a shirt on . . . um . . . you okay?" Buffy finished awkwardly as she stepped in to finish cooking breakfast. He ignored her and grumbled to himself. It sounded a lot like "could have bleedin' told me that earlier" as he stalked out of the room to find a shirt to wear. Buffy sighed in relief. Seeing Spike shirtless wasn't a _bad_ thing per say, but it did make her feel pretty awkward that she was in the same room with the guy who was supposed to be her enemy while he wasn't even properly clothed. There was the sound of him throwing stuff around in the other room and Buffy smirked as she finished cooking and turned off the stove. It was a good thing he started cooking because she only knew to take it off the stove because the bacon was starting to burn. Spike came back in with a fresh t-shirt on and saw her taking the food off the stove and grabbed plates down for them.

Once breakfast was ready, the awkward silence at the kitchen table ensued. Buffy pushed around the eggs on her plate and lightly munched on her toast. She blatantly ignored the mug that Spike was drinking out of that was filled with blood he probably stole from the hospital or something – because he'd never drink pig's blood. She sighed lightly; looked like it was time to start talking. She nearly cringed at what she had to say next. It totally went against every law of Slayerness – every law of nature even.

"So um thanks for helping me. I – I didn't really expect you to, and well . . . I appreciate it," she finally managed. "I'll just finish with this and be out of your hair I guess," she said with a shrug.

"Not so fast, Slayer. You're not gettin' off that easy. You _owe_ me now. It's not exactly a good thing to be indebted to a vampire," he replied with a smirk before taking a drink of his blood. So he was messing with her, he was _evil_ it's what he did. "Besides, you can't go back to that motel; the place was swarming with cops when I left." Buffy merely gaped at him. Was he serious? Where was she supposed to go? She couldn't stay here! And if the cops saw the damage in her room, they'd probably be after her! She was in some deep shit now, and her only ally it seemed was Spike.

"Well where the hell am I supposed to go? All my stuff is there!" She exclaimed in annoyance. Spike shrugged. "I suppose you can stay here, but that means you've gotta help me with something," Buffy sighed. What on earth did he want? Would she really _willingly_ stay with a _vampire?_ Yes, yes she would. It wasn't like she had anywhere else to go.

"Help you? With what? I'm not letting you kill people if that's what you think! I'm still the Slayer, I'll still stake you," she threatened, which wasn't all too scary considering she was waving a piece of half eaten toast at him. Spike chuckled in amusement. She sure was something else with this hero gig.

"Oh don't get your self-righteous knickers in a twist, Slayer," he told her – which earned a scowl from her – "Protectin' you put me on the hit list of about every demon in the city. You're gonna help me kill enough of them to get em off my back."

"That's it? Well that's easy," she mused before taking a drink of orange juice. Spike chose that particular moment to say, "well that and having mind-blowing sex with me every night," he shrugged in nonchalance while Buffy's eyes bugged out and she choked on her juice. She coughed for a few moments before she found her voice again.

"W-What!? I'm so not agreeing to that!" _If I have sex with him it'll be my choice, not because of a deal_, she thought. "Oh god, bad thoughts," she grumbled to herself and put her hands over her eyes and rubbed her face.

"C'mon, luv. You know you can't resist my fiendish charms," he smirked at her and wiggled his brows.

"You're a pig, Spike," she complained and grabbed up their still mostly full plates and tossed them in the sink.

"Yeah well, you're stuck with me – you better get used to it. Go rest or something, we're going out tonight an' 'm not patching your head up again."

* * *

Kate Lockley hadn't seen a crime scene this brutal in quite some time. She'd gotten the call sometime around 2 in the morning and had been in the motel room since then. Now, about nine hours later – and the same number of coffees – they still weren't any closer to figuring out what happened. The bodies . . . they didn't even seem human. Some men from some strange military group – she thought she heard the word Initiative tossed around – had shown up a few minutes earlier and carted off the bodies with strict instructions to just brush this crime under the rug. Was that really the state of the justice system these days? Just blatantly ignore heinous crimes? When Kate had asked about the young girl who had been staying there, the leader of this Initiative group just said that she was "beyond helping now." It saddened the officer that they could view the loss of a life so easily. This girl was quite odd though. When they searched the room, they had found all sorts of weapons in a duffle bag, weapons that no seventeen year old girl should have. They never found her body either. Could she have somehow escaped? Did she get kidnapped. This case being dropped was going to bother her, so she'd just have to take it upon herself to find this girl and make sure she was safe. Kate Lockley wasn't about to let an innocent just fall off the radar like that – especially if she was alone and possibly in danger.


End file.
